Volcanic Age

"Really?" Nangong Weiwu asked, eyes widening.

"So you've finally figured it out."

The Dark Heavens Association.

Not only its leader but even its overall structure wasn't clearly known. Aside from its goal of conquering the murim, nearly everything else about the organization remained a mystery. Several forces of the murim, in addition to the Martial Alliance, had investigated it, but there was no significant information.

"Yes. This information I heard from Warped Valor… the Heavenly Demon, so I'm certain it's true."

The Heavenly Demon submitted to power. That was why he had bowed his head to the Dark Heavens Association Lord and became Warped Valor, and that was why he had shared this information with Zhou Xuchuan.

Although his heart may have been evil, he had remained faithful to the Demon Cult's ideology and beliefs until the very end.

"Even that terrifying Heavenly Demon was just an executive of the Dark Heavens Association. Even when I think about it again, it's so unbelievable," Nangong Weiwu said with a mixture of exclamations.

Beside him, Zhuge Xiang nodded his head in agreement.

Yes, it was surprising, but more importantly, they were afraid of his power, especially after he had subdued the leader of the Demon Cult of the Four Great Powers and made him his subordinate.

"As I said before, Destructive Soldier is part of the Imperial Palace. Moreover, the Dark Heavens Association Lord is the same."

"That's not really surprising. He opened the Jade Gate without anyone's intervention and sent the Blood Cult's forces in. There was no way that Destructive Soldier could have done that alone…"

"Moreover… the Dark Heavens Association is the same. Their roots are in the Imperial Palace. No, to be precise, they are officials from the Hongwu Emperor's era."

"The Hongwu Emperor? By the Hongwu Emperor, are you referring to the Grand Progenitor of the Ming Dynasty?"

"So it hasn't been that long, then."

Zhuge Xiang was shocked by the unexpected news.

The Hongwu Emperor had passed away only twenty years ago. Considering that the first emperor's reign had lasted thirty years, this meant that the Dark Heavens Association was only about fifty years old at most. It was no wonder that he was surprised.

"Fifty years is not a short time, but it's not that long either."

Nangong Weiwu leaned back and stroked his beard.

"The Martial Alliance, the Evil Valley, the Demon Cult, and the Blood Cult… considering they have amassed enough power to manipulate the Four Great Powers of the murim and each group in the Central Plains, taken control of the trade companies, and also amassed enough power to move even the bureaucracy of the Five Military Commissions, to be honest, that seems incredibly short."

In agreement, Zhuge Xiang chimed in.

"That's right. Compared to the power they have accumulated, their history doesn’t seem long enough."

From the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic to the Thunder Emperor's techniques to the various artifacts, secret manuals, and even the elixirs and spiritual beasts of the Archive—if any of this information leaked, it would cause a storm of bloodshed. Above all, the lost techniques of the Absolute Masters and elixirs were by no means easy to obtain.

Even though fifty years wasn't a short period of time, it still wasn't enough to accumulate all of what they had. Wild rumors were circulating about the Dark Heavens Association, claiming they had been preparing for the conquest of the murim for one or two hundred years, or that monsters or immortals were somehow involved.

Zhou Xuchuan himself had been skeptical when he first heard when the Dark Heavens Association was founded, but once he learned the inside story, he had no choice but to accept it.

"If you were asked to choose one of the most famous deeds of the Hongwu Emperor besides the founding of the country, what would you choose?"

"The purge."

When discussing the Hongwu Emperor, the purge could never be forgotten.

The Hongwu Emperor established a centralized dictatorship and wielded absolute power, eventually carrying out a purge of the imperial government in order to maintain and strengthen his hold without damaging the empire. The scale of the purge was considerable.

It was so large that it affected thirty thousand people, including not only his close associates, who had been through heaven and hell with him before the founding of the nation, but also the founding members of the imperial government, including the powerful ministers and their families.

"Thirty thousand?" Nangong Weiwu exclaimed in shock.

While he knew a little about the purges of the Hongwu Emperor, he had no idea that they had been on this scale.

Since the murim and the imperial government didn't get involved with one another, there was no reason for him to have known such details.

"The Hongwu Emperor distrusted his subjects. Whether it was the founding members alongside him or his veteran generals who had made great achievements—not even they could escape the purges. Every official had to tremble in fear."

The Hongwu Emperor hadn't done such things without reason. There had been reasons for the purges.

Firstly, the Hongwu Emperor wasn't a member of the royal family but a poor peasant. He had been so poor that he suffered all kinds of hardships.

At that time, the country had been in a state of ruin, and he had hated the corrupt and evil officials who had been behind it. After becoming the emperor, he actively worked to monitor and punish corruption thoroughly. Thanks to that, he played a significant role in virtually eliminating all corruption.

Moreover, knowing that he would likely be looked down upon because of his humble origins and wealth, he had to demonstrate his authority as an emperor through purges.

Even in previous dynasties, there were many cases where an emperor was unable to wield real power because his advisors dominated him, and he was manipulated by his meritorious subjects—often leading to his downfall. He had been wary of this as well.

"After the Ming Dynasty was established, numerous purges, both large and small, were carried out during the reign of the Hongwu Emperor. Some attempted to step down from their official posts and retreat into seclusion, but the Hongwu Emperor didn’t allow even that."

The Hongwu Emperor issued an imperial edict declaring that all people and subjects should act solely for the emperor. However, if any subject performed their duties for the country or the emperor half-heartedly—or even resigned—not only would they be held accountable, but their families would be as well.

"Ha… I heard that the Hongwu Emperor had been called a wise king by the people but a tyrant by his subjects, but…"

Nangong Weiwu groaned.

"Oh, by any chance…!"

Zhuge Xiang’s eyes widened as if he had suddenly realized something.

"Was the Dark Heavens Association a group of ministers who were afraid of the Hongwu Emperor's purges at the time?"

"Yes."

The Dark Heavens Association!

The roots of the hidden organization that toyed with the murim weren't actually within the gangho murim. Rather, they were part of the completely separate imperial government.

What they referred to as the “dark heavens” was the uncertain future awaiting the ministers of that era. They had gathered in search of a way to survive, eventually forming what is now known as the Dark Heavens Association.

"The Hongwu Emperor had secretly developed a spy organization to monitor every move of the ministers who had even the slightest bit of power, or who had outstanding ambitions or abilities that could be used to encroach on imperial power…"

With this revelation, many questions were finally answered. The scattered pieces began to fall into place.

"Ah!" Nangong Weiwu exclaimed, slapping his knee in realization.

"So they chose the murim, a place where the influence of the imperial government couldn't reach and where they could avoid the suspicion of the Hongwu Emperor!"

Even during the time of the Hongwu Emperor, the murim was an entirely separate realm.

There were many foreign enemies around the Hongwu Emperor, from the northern barbarians of the Northern Wastelands to the Dai Viet of the Southern Jungles. He wanted to avoid unnecessary conflicts and was more concerned about the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty and the native tribes than the martial artists.

After all, the murim would remain uninvolved if left alone, and it wasn’t bad since they wouldn't care of how he subjugated the annoying bastards.

It would be best for him to focus on the subjects who might plot a rebellion at any time instead of worrying about the murim.

"I see, that's how it is. Now I understand," Nangong Weiwu exclaimed and straightened his slumped body.

"While I don't know how many people sympathized with the Dark Heavens Association's plight, if there were several high-ranking officials involved, it wouldn't have been too difficult to create a force that could threaten the murim quickly. While money was money and power was power, after all, wasn't there the Imperial Repository?"

Zhuge Xiang organized his thoughts into words.

The Imperial Repository.

It was a place where, the murim included, the world's artifacts, secret manuals, cultivation methods, and various weapons were stored.

The important part was that the Imperial Repository boasted a long history, to the point where it could even be said to represent the history of the Central Plains itself.

According to rumors, it had been started by the First Emperor of Qin, who was obsessed with superstitions and collected all kinds of strange books, artifacts, and relics related to the murim.

It was said to have been passed down from dynasty to dynasty. However, after the rise of the Hongwu Emperor, it was closed and abandoned.

The Hongwu Emperor had been wary of the possibility that his meritorious subjects would demand secret techniques or famous swords from the Imperial Palace to increase their power.

Thus, he locked it away.

"It might have been difficult if only one or two people were planning this, but if a few officials colluded to extract items one by one, it wouldn’t have been such an issue. Moreover, the current Emperor possessed an especially strong martial spirit and had shown interest in the Imperial Repository. They must have seized that opportunity."

If subjects, especially military officials, showed interest in the Imperial Palace, they would be deemed suspicious and opposed. However, the situation was different for relatives. If his relatives increased their power, wouldn’t the imperial forces be strengthened? Thus, relatives were given permission, just like the emperor.

"But, to secretly steal from the Imperial Repository, are they in their right minds? That's not on the level of theft or embezzlement. If they weren't careful, it could be considered treason."

"That's a minor issue."

Zhou Xuchuan shook his head.

"In the case of the Hongwu Emperor’s officials and bureaucrats, their very abilities and existence made them targets for purging. In an environment where even founding members could be swept away, who could feel safe? They would do anything to survive."

The desire for survival contributed greatly to the Dark Heavens Association's existence. Thanks to their bold actions, including risking their lives, they eventually accumulated significant wealth and power.

"Whew… My head is throbbing."

Nangong Weiwu frowned and pressed his temples with his fingers. He had heard too much at once.

Most concerning was the fact that the imperial government’s involvement in the murim had been minimal—it could be counted on one hand. Given that this was an unprecedented situation, he wasn’t sure about the future.

"Wait a moment…"

Nangong Weiwu lowered his hand, a new question still lingering on his mind. While the background and power of the Dark Heavens Association had been somewhat clarified, a new question arose.

"If the Dark Heavens Association emerged in order to survive the purge of the Hongwu Emperor, then what's the current Dark Heavens Association goal?"

From a results-oriented perspective, the Dark Heavens Association had already achieved its original purpose. Had they failed and been caught, the Hongwu Emperor would have had no mercy. Therefore, their mere survival was already a success. Much like Meng Gang, the core members of the Dark Heavens Association had clearly hidden their identities and disappeared into the murim.

"But, I don't understand how a faction that was created to survive the emperor's purge would come to plan a conquest of the murim."

Nangong Weiwu glanced at Zhou Xuchuan, hoping for an explanation. Zhuge Xiang appeared deep in thought.

"What I'm going to say next is just my guess."

Before his death, the Heavenly Demon gave a brief explanation of the main points. There hadn't been enough time for the man to explain everything.

"Considering that the Dark Heavens Association wasn't revealed until now, it's clear that they have achieved their intended goal. Most of the officials and ministers who had joined them must have succeeded in hiding in places that were out of the reach of the government. However, it's impossible for all of them to have done so."

"Indeed," Zhuge Xiang nodded and muttered.

Only Nangong Weiwu seemed frustrated and at a loss for words, still not understanding.

"The very existence of the Dark Heavens Association is treason. So, someone must have remained behind, guarding the secret until the very end."

The Hongwu Emperor's ministers, who founded the Dark Heavens Association, disappeared long ago. Whether they were martial artists or not, they had to have gone into hiding somewhere.

They had committed all sorts of blasphemous crimes in order to escape the purge, so they most likely had cut ties with the secular world out of fear of being exposed.

"The ministers should have left behind their hidden military force within the murim, the one formed through raiding the Imperial Repository and the power of the Hongwu Emperor's subjects. Moreover, the one who was left behind would have been able to manipulate it as they pleased."

This was a time of unprecedented warfare in the murim's history. Even after peace returned, no information about the Dark Heavens Association Lord emerged—in fact, no information regarding him was ever released.

Even though they were of the murim and not the imperial government, if the background and process of the birth of the Dark Heavens Association were revealed, the entire murim could get caught up in a plot of treason.

"Then, the one who remained behind…."

"Is most likely the Dark Heavens Association Lord."

"Then, just who the hell is he?"

"The Dark Heavens Association Lord is..."